GOP Rep. Blasts Bill Banning Unemployment Discrimination

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert recently criticized a new proposal for a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against the jobless.

Gohmert said on Tuesday, “We’re adding in this bill a new protected class called ‘unemployed. I think this will help trial lawyers who are not having enough work. We heard from our friends across the aisle, 14 million people out of work — that’s 14 million new clients.”

HuffingtonPost.com reports:

According to the National Employment Law Project, Gohmert is incorrect: The proposal would not make employment status a protected class like race or sex. It simply bans hiring discrimination against the jobless, and is modeled off of legislation drafted by Democrats in Congress earlier this year.